A Knight In Need
by JPLegends
Summary: Link arrives at Zelda's room in Hyrule Castle beaten and bloody. Zelda tends to his wounds, and they talk about what happened to Link to receive the injuries. Zelda ends up tending more than just physical wounds. She tends to some psychological ones as well. Rated T for Link's physical condition and some heavy swearing in the middle.


**So, you guys remember "A Lesson in Humility"? No? Well, for those who do, this is the follow up to the universe I established. I hope you enjoy, because from what I can tell, the people who read "Lesson in Humility" really seemed to enjoy it. I do not own Legend of Zelda or its characters, ideas, ect. If you have a criticism or critique, please leave a review. I hope you enjoy the one shot!**

 **God bless, JPLegends**

* * *

Zelda has been up for hours. In those hours she has been bent over her desk, analyzing and rereading notes in order to figure out the sheikah tech that is dotted all over Hyrule. It is madness through and through. She has been cycling through books and scribbling down notes to try and pinpoint the simple example she has in front of her; her shiekah slate, which has been sitting and waiting for notes. But for the life of her, she could not figure out what was making the device work. She painstakingly picked apart the bits of code she pulled from the thing, matched them to ancient sheikah alphabet, failed, went through even more code, cross referenced that with old hylian alphabet, failed again, and switched up methods only to fail again more times than she can count. Her green eyes have dark rings under them, and her bright blonde hair is drooped over her face and extremely untidy. Eventually, she drops her pen and runs her hands back through her mess of hair. The braids she usually ties on the top of her head have disappeared and are hanging over her forehead in bangs. And what clings to her body is a baggy nightdress that should have been slept in hours ago.

She lets out a soft sigh, contemplating what will happen to Hyrule if she doesn't figure the sheikah technology out. Luckily for her, her thoughts are interrupted before she can demoralize herself too much. A loud thud is heard outside her room against her door, heavy and staccato. Zelda yelps in surprise, covering her mouth up instantly. If her father, King Rhoam, found out she was staying up late studying the tech again, he would have her head. Zelda decides that the thud wasn't the King.

' _He doesn't knock._ '

She stands up and walks over to the wooden door, a few feet next to her desk. She opens the door, looking around. At first she doesn't see anything in the dark hallway, but then she realizes a figure leaning on the wall next to her door. The figure moves within view of Zelda, and then Zelda realizes the figure is none other than Link.

"Link! Goddess, you look horrible!" Zelda says in shock. She was not exaggerating.

Link had bruises and deep cuts all over his face and abdomen. His blue eyes were tired and swollen, and his tan skin was waxed with sweat. His long, golden hair was mopped over his eyes, his braids lazily fixed and all over the place. His blue tunic was damp with blood over most of his chest and legs. And if that wasn't bad enough, his face was equally as bloody. His cuts on his lips, nose, cheeks and forehead where oozing blood. Link was using the Master Sword to hold himself up, leaning against it like if he let go, he would fall out of existence. He was out of breath as well, and as breathing heavily.

Nevertheless, he wore a grin on his face.

"Pri…Princess," Link croaked. "S-s-sorry to b-bother you, my l-lady. I j-just need…I need a…" Link tried to take a step forward, and instantly lost his footing, falling forward fast. Zelda rushed to catch him, grabbing him and holding him with her arms wrapped under his armpits, her hands on his shoulder blades. Zelda's face landed next to his hair, and she exhaled violently as to adapt to the weight that was instantly pressured onto her. Her nose was assaulted with a mixture of scents of blood, mud, and sweat. Link smelled _awful_. A loud metallic clang followed a millisecond after Zelda caught Link, coming from the Hero's Sword falling on the ground. Zelda didn't need an in depth medical report to know that Link needed help immediately. She turned, throwing Link's right arm around her shoulder and her left arm around his. She carried him over to her large bed, which was perfectly made right up until a half-conscious Link flopped onto it. Zelda repositioned Link on the bed so he was on his back, lying down. He looked barely conscious, in pain.

' _How the blazes did he get this far into the Castle?!_ '

Zelda didn't waste any time getting to work. She rushed back over to the outside of her door, picked up the Master Sword by its hilt, and laid it on her desk. Next, she took a good look at Link, sweeping his hair out of his face comfortably and looking at his body. The tunic he wore looked bad for wear, and she needed to stop whatever was causing the bleeding.

' _Zelda, water! Your knight needs water!_ '

Zelda mentally kicked herself for forgetting such an important detail and then ran over to her cupboard, where she horded water for drinks when she stayed up late. She poured some water into a wooden cup and then ran it over to Link, who drank eagerly. The water dribbled down his face as he did so. Now she can focus on the wounds. She sits Link upright and raises his arms up, removing his damp tunic. The smell with his shirt off was even worse. She tossed it aside and pulled bandages out of her bedside table. Earlier that week, she cut herself meddling with a guardian sword and then discarded the bandages after Mipha healed her arm. She thanked Hylia that she never gave them back.

Link's usually chiseled chest and six-pack abs (' _Focus, Zelda!_ ') were soaked in sweat, crusted up mud, and cuts that leaked massive amounts of blood. His chest is astonishingly crimson and was caked in the liquid. Zelda exhaled and poured water over his chest and stomach, and then took about three minutes washing the mud off. And then she wrapped his stomach in bandage right up to the bottom of his chest. Three layers of bandages were applied, since the blood is so plentiful. Zelda then wrapped three layers of bandages around his chest, and a bit more around his arms. Zelda wiped sweat off her brow, and stepped back to look at her handiwork. She sees that his legs are still bleeding through his trousers. Her cheeks turn bright red, and she clears her throat. She removes his boots and unlaces his trousers, pulling them off and throwing them aside. She wraps the legs in bandages, not looking at them at all. Her heart goes at a million miles-a-minute. After six minutes of the legs, she steps back and looks at Link….once again completely avoiding looking at the legs.

Link still looks barely conscious, but he looks much better than when he "knocked" on her door. Zelda thought for a minute, realizing that she doesn't have the resources to clean Link's clothes and she would not be able to get clothes from the barracks, because her father would murder her. So, she grabbed Link's sweaty clothes and put them on the nearby grand piano. She then walked over to Link and sat next to him on the bed. She sat by him, exhaling in relief. She sat there for who knows how long until Link starts speaking.

"That was almost as bad as you feeding me that frog." Link croaks. Zelda laughs softly, looking at her knight. He looks like he just woke up, and Zelda realized she never went over Link's face.

"Sorry, I forgot to get your face." Zelda says, getting up to get a handkerchief. Link exhales in the form of a laugh.

"It's okay, Princess," Link says. "I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Hush," Zelda says, walking back over with the cloth. "I'm more than happy to help." She walks over and starts wiping the blood off of Link's lips. "You got pretty thrashed," Zelda says. "Why didn't you go to Mipha?" Link naturally turns red. Zelda thought it was adorable how Link got bashful anyone asked about Mipha.

"I wouldn't have gotten to her in time. I was in Hyrule Field," Link says. "The castle was closer." Zelda thought that was fair, but if he was this badly hurt, how did he get from the Field to the castle and not die? Zelda moved on to Link's cheeks.

"What were you fighting?" Zelda asks.

"A lynel." Link responds. Zelda raises an eyebrow.

"These cuts are too thin for lynel weapons," Zelda says. "In fact, most of these wounds look like bludgeoning took place."

"Right, right. Sorry, my memory is a bit fuzzy," Link says. "I think it was actually a talus."

"Our scouts haven't reported a talus anywhere in Hyrule Field."

"Yeah….I found it, Princess."

"And you got this hurt, but still managed to muster the strength to kill it?" Zelda noted that Link's face looked disturbed while he was speaking. She finished wiping the blood off of Link's cheeks, and then moved onto his forehead.

"Of course. I'm your appointed knight. The best-of-the-best, all that jazz." Link said.

"I have no doubt you are courageous, strong, and that you can carry yourself," Zelda says, her eyes trying to meet his. "But even you have your limits. And I doubt you could get from Hyrule Field to here in time before you died."

"You underestimate me as usual, Princess." Link says, grinning. The comment was supposed to be a joke, but Zelda had tried to be as open as possible toward him in the time after the yiga attack. The words cut deep. She took the side of Link's head and gently pushed it to the side so his eyes could meet hers.

"Don't lie to me, Link," Zelda says. "You could barely stand when you came to me. Goddess, you fell apart when you took a step! This behavior isn't helping you at all. It's making you thick, bull-headed, and irrational, as you always are!" Link was silent. His faced dropped from tiredly snarky to an unreadable expression. Zelda knew she went too far when Link tore his eyes away from hers and his eyes started to glaze. Zelda let go of his head and let him look away, standing over him.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just….I'm frustrated whenever this happens." Zelda says. She sits down and lays a hand on his shoulder, gently and lightly. "I don't want you to throw your life away because of the illusion you have that you have to carry the world on your shoulders," She continues. "Believe it or not, I care about you." Link stared into space, contemplating Zelda's words.

"Princess, I…" Link says, struggling to find appropriate words. Instead, he just explains what happens.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 _Link walked near the exit of Hyrule Castle Town. He had been running errands for King Rhoam, and making sure towns were able to hold off the rising number of monsters on their own. For his next assignment, he was to head to the Gerudo region so that he could investigate the rising Yiga influence. This is why he stopped by Hyrule Castle Town. He was grabbing rations for the journey ahead, and supplies for the hearty number of foes he would surely meet on his travels. All that was next is to head to the stable a bit out of town and he would be on his way. As he walked for the exit, he noticed a group of people behind him. He thought nothing of it and waved it off. As he exited the gates, he walked a bit forward until the group started to catch up with him._

 _They were only a little bit outside Castle Town when Link was stopped by a traveler grabbing him by the shoulder and swinging himself in front of the knight. The traveler's face was dirty, unshaven and his eyes had a form of anger in them. Despite this, the traveler was smiling a wide toothy grin. He was taller than Link (naturally) but less muscular._

 _"Hey, it's mister high-and-mighty-knight," the traveler says. "Look guys, it's the princess's appointed knight, here to save the day!" Link hears cheers from behind him. He turns his head to see easily seven other travelers behind him. He turned back to make eye contact with the traveler in front of him. The traveler got in Link's face. His breath smelled like alcohol._

 _"You know, it's your father that got you in this position," the traveler says. "Without him, you would still be the nine-year-old the town knew, shitting his pants at the first sign of a fight. 'daddy, daddy! Stop them!'" His impression of Link's childhood-high pitched and incredibly annoying-elicited laughs from the group behind him._

 _"Hell, who am I kidding," the traveler shouts. "You still are! You're a brat who inherited the royal knight position. You didn't work for it, you didn't earn it. It just fell in your lap! And your little macho routine pisses. Me. Off. And it pisses them off too, eh? Ha!" The traveler shoves at Link, who's shoulder moves but stands his ground. "Ha ha ha! There brain activity in there, mister silent-as-the-grave? Or are you too scared that if you speak you'll shit your pants?"_

 _"Maybe if you were a little bit more muscular, your words would have weight." Link says. The sudden outburst seems to silence the travelers. And then, the traveler in front of him shoves him hard. And Link falls onto the ground._

 _"My words have weight, pretty boy," the traveler says, kicking Link hard in the stomach. "You don't deserve the spot you're in. You ruined families to get there. How does that feel, asshole!" The rest of the travelers start joining in on the beating. Link is kicked, spit on, punched and stomped on. The punches draw blood, and some of them even draw blood._

 _But he doesn't fight back. He just takes it for thirty minutes straight._

 _After those thirty minutes, the traveler in charge orders everyone to stop. And looks down on Link: bloody, beaten, not moving, but still alive. He grabs Link's tunic's neck, and pulls the knight's face up to his own. "That was from everyone who fell from grace because of your bullshit rise to power. You don't deserve to be in the Royal Guard. You never did." With that, they walk off. Link struggles to keep conscious, and decides what to do next. He can't go to the Zora's Domain in time. The only option is the only person he can possibly get to right now. Princess Zelda. And with that, he picks himself up and makes his way to the castle._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Goddess above," Zelda says, looking at Link in shock. "And you just let them do that?" When Link didn't respond, Zelda got her answer. Thinking about what to say, Zelda looks to see that she still has the handkerchief in her hand. She kicks herself mentally, realizing she never got to Link's forehead. Zelda gently grabbed the side of Link's head, and made them enter eye contact again. She smiles warmly (or about as warmly as she can muster herself to be, since she was beyond angry at the travelers) and begins wiping the remaining blood off of Link's head, focusing on the scars.

"Just….. don't tell Mipha. Please?" Link asks. Zelda continues wiping at the blood but makes eye contact.

"Why not? You're awfully wounded. And she deserves to know, does she not? After all, you happen to love one another…" Zelda basked in Link's baffled expression.

"How did you-?!"

"Goddess, Link, it was dreadfully obvious," Zelda says, rolling her eyes. "She should know what happened here, don't you think?"

"No," Link says. "She'll think I can't handle the job. She'll want me pulled from the Campions. And she'll probably kill the travelers that did this…" Zelda laughs.

"A feisty one, hmm?" She asks. Link laughs as well.

"You have no idea," Link responds. "It helps that she knows this has happened before." Zelda jerks her handkerchief away and looks at Link with a panicked expression on her face.

"What?!"

"Goddess, not again…"

"Well, with that knowledge, I'd think Mipha is right!" Zelda says. Link suddenly jerks upward, meeting Zelda's eyes. Their faces are four inches apart. Zelda turns bright red.

"Zelda, I worked hard for this ever since dad died," Link says. "I put myself through unreasonable pain to get where I am. The sword over there on your desk, chose me. I have to live up to the legends of the Hero of Time! The Hero of Wind! The Hero of Twilight! You've read the legends of what happens when the Hero dies or fails to do his job! If I fail, Hyrule dies. And I don't want to lose Mipha, who was my closest childhood friend. Or Urbosa, who taught me so much about combat. Or you, my only friend in this castle. I don't want everyone I know to die because I couldn't….because I couldn't save them." Link's stutter was created out of his throat choking up and tears starting to well in his eyes. He gets out of Zelda's face and stares at a spot in front of him on the bed. "I'm going to push myself. I'm going to win."

"And you're going to do it without a word." Zelda says, her eyes dropping to the bottom right of her face. Link stays silent for a minute, and Zelda swings her legs onto the bed, making them sit together nearly shoulder to shoulder. She grabs the side of Link's head again and cleans off the rest of the blood.

"You really like doing this." Link says, softly joking. Zelda lightly chuckles.

"Link, listen," Zelda says, pulling the dirty rag away from Link's now clean face. "I understand that you think you have to carry the world on your shoulders, and you think you have the responsibility to be quiet and humble about it. But believe me, I know what it feels like to not feel good enough.

"Thick? Bull-headed? Irrational?" Link asks softly. They both chuckle.

' _If you could stop being charming while I'm trying to be encouraging, that'd be great, hero._ '

"Exactly. If I'm not able to seal Ganon away….you know," Zelda continues. "But I have your burden too. And so does Mipha, and Revali. Daruk, Urbosa, we're all behind you. We're not going to let you fall. And if you need to talk about this, I'm always here… I understand. I may not have been kind to you at first, but you're truly the one person who accepted me for me. You're the one friend I've ever truly had. You mean the world to me, and I'll always give you a good kick to the rear to keep you going." Link smiles, looking grateful.

"Thank you, Princess." Link says. Zelda rolls her eyes.

"Goddess's sake, Link," Zelda says. "I made you eat a frog. A hug is fine." Link smiles. The two embrace tightly, savoring the tender moment between the two friends. Zelda loved the experience. Minus the awful smell, the gesture was legitimately endearing. Zelda smiled warmly. For once, all of the worries she had melted away. It seemed to last forever. After two years of a hug, the two let go and Zelda exhaled warmly.

"And Zelda is fine. Don't call me Princess, you hear?" Zelda says. Link laughs, and lays back down.

"Whatever you say, Princess." Link responds.

' _You twerp._ '

Zelda gets off the bed and allows Link to sleep in it for the rest of the night, despite his _heavy_ protest. She walks over to be desk, where the Master Sword is resting. After staring at the notebook she was jotting down notes in, she closes it and goes to join Link in bed. They rest for the night, satisfied at the conversation.

The next morning, Zelda announces that the next man who lays a finger on Link gets to spar with the Royal Guard for four hours straight. This didn't help Link at all, but the two got a show out of it. As did Mipha, who pitched in as a sparring partner for the citizens half the time.

* * *

 **That was long and exhausting, and I loved it. I love you guys this much, guys!**


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